The Devil's Pool eBook

“Yes, yes, on condition that I always do what
he wants me to, eh?” said Germain, wiping the
little fellow’s eyes with his handkerchief.
“Ah! Marie, you will spoil the rascal for
me!—­And really, little Marie, you’re
too good. I don’t know why you didn’t
come to us as shepherdess last midsummer. You
could have taken care of my children, and I would
rather have paid you a good price for waiting on them
than go in search of a wife who will be very likely
to think that she’s doing me a great favor by
not detesting them.”

[Illustration: Chapter VI

He raised the child, who opened his eyes and smiled
at him, saying, as he threw his arms around his neck.

“Little father, you are going to take me with
you_!”]

“You mustn’t look on the dark side of
things like that,” replied little Marie, holding
the rein while Germain placed his son on the front
of the heavy goat-skin-covered saddle; “if your
wife doesn’t like children, you can hire me
next year, and I’ll amuse them so well that they
won’t notice anything, never you fear.”

VII

ON THE MOOR

“By the way,” said Germain, when they
had ridden on a short distance, “what will they
think at home when this little man doesn’t appear?
The old people will be anxious, and they will scour
the country for him.”

“You can tell the man working on the road yonder
that you have taken him with you, and send him back
to tell your people.”

“True, Marie, you think of everything!
It didn’t even occur to me that Jeannie would
be in this neighborhood.”

“He lives close to the farm, too: he won’t
fail to do your errand.”

When they had taken that precaution, Germain started
the mare off at a trot, and Petit Pierre was so overjoyed
that he did not notice at first that he had not dined;
but as the rapid movement of the horse dug a pit in
his stomach, he began, after a league or more, to yawn
and turn pale, and at last confessed that he was dying
of hunger.

“Now he’s beginning,” said Germain.
“I knew that we shouldn’t go far before
monsieur would cry from hunger or thirst.”

“I’m thirsty, too!” said Petit-Pierre.

“Well, we will go to Mere Rebec’s wine-shop
at Corlay, at the sign of the Break of Day.
A fine sign, but a poor inn! Come, Marie, you
will drink a finger of wine too.”

“No, no, I don’t need anything,”
she said, “I’ll hold the mare while you
go in with the little one.”

“But now I think of it, my dear girl, you gave
the bread you had for your luncheon to my Pierre,
and you haven’t had anything to eat; you refused
to dine with us at the house, and did nothing but weep.”

“Oh! I wasn’t hungry, I was too sad!
and I promise you that I haven’t the slightest
desire to eat now.”

“We must force you to, little one; otherwise
you’ll be sick. We have a long way to go,
and we mustn’t arrive there half-starved, and
ask for bread before we say good-day. I propose
to set you the example, although I’m not very
hungry; but I shall make out to eat, considering that
I didn’t dine very well, either. I saw
you and your mother weeping, and it made my heart
sick. Come, come, I will tie Grise at the door;
get down, I insist upon it.”